To celebrate a successful year in our private jet division and show the broad scope of charters we can arrange, we’ve put together a selection of some of our most memorable private jet charters of 2021.
ACS's private jet charters of 2021
Air Charter Service’s private jet division enjoyed better-than-expected growth in 2021, with clients choosing private travel over scheduled services as commercial airlines battled Covid-19 uncertainty and ever-changing border restrictions.
Bookings of global business charters alone reached 76% of 2019 levels in the first quarter of 2021, as clients shunned scheduled flights in favour of flying private, while leisure bookings were boosted by increased travel confidence as countries periodically eased border restrictions throughout the year. We also arranged a broad spectrum of specialist charters, from medical evacuations to transporting war veterans.
To celebrate a successful year and showcase the diverse charters we can achieve, we’ve rounded up some of our memorable private jet charters of 2021.
Arranging urgent medical charters
We’re used to arranging last-minute charters, but received a particularly complex time-sensitive request in late 2021 when we were asked to help fly a critically ill newborn baby boy from London to Gibraltar for urgent medical treatment.
The 12-day-old didn’t yet have a passport and needed specialist care throughout the flight, so it was a race against time to coordinate the necessary paperwork and find a suitable aircraft for the charter. Our experienced team made it happen and the flight ran smoothly.
Our Spanish office had taken on a similarly time-critical request earlier in the year, when they were asked to help transport a child who’d been injured in a car accident from a hospital in Seville to continue treatment near his home. The journey was too far to make by ambulance, so we quickly sourced a specialist aircraft that could complete the journey straight away.
Transporting elderly war veterans
In August 2021, a non-profit organisation asked us to help fly a group of war veterans from New York to Washington D.C., where they were due to tour the city’s memorial monuments in thanks for their service.
The client wanted to charter a private jet to avoid transiting the elderly passengers through crowded public airport terminals during the Covid-19 pandemic, but budget constraints meant they were also considering commercial flights. We pulled out all the stops to source a cost-effective charter solution that met their needs.
Flying pharmaceutical directors
In June 2021, we were asked to help a German pharmaceutical company involved in developing technology for producing life-saving medicines like Covid-19 vaccines.
The client urgently needed to fly five directors to an important business meeting in the United States, following the last-minute cancellation of their commercial flight. With just hours to find an alternative solution, our expert team worked against the clock to ensure the group made it to their meeting in time.
Stepping in to help a stranded family
Our team in the US once again showed how we can deliver under tight time constraints when a luxury travel agent reached out after a private jet they’d arranged was grounded with a cracked windshield.
The aircraft had been flying a family from Boston to Antigua, but was forced to land in Puerto Rico after the fault was spotted on the outbound leg. We quickly found a replacement aircraft to complete the group’s journey to Antigua and return them home at the end of the holiday.
Coordinating multi-stop roadshows
As well as one-stop trips, we often arrange multi-sector charters covering several destinations. In 2021 we were tasked at short notice with arranging a nine-stop tour of South and Central America for a Middle-Eastern government delegation, who wanted to carry out a series of official visits whilst avoiding busy airports and crowded commercial flights. Adhering to ever-changing Covid-19 protocols, we carefully planned the itinerary to maximise the delegates’ time on the ground and allow for last-minute schedule changes.
Shortly after this successful charter, a real estate company asked our New York office to charter flights for another multi-stop roadshow to its many branches around the United States. Covering nine cities in just three days, we meticulously planned the eight-leg tour around constantly changing meeting schedules.
Jetting a German actor to a TV shoot
Every year we fly high-profile actors and musicians around the world, arranging discreet and bespoke private charters that can accommodate even the most specific needs. One such charter took place in June 2021, when a German management company asked us to help fly a big-name actor and his partner from Hamburg to Munich to shoot a television commercial.
The celebrity passenger had requested an Embraer Phenom 3000 that exceeded the client’s budget, so our experienced team used their unrivalled knowledge and contacts to find a more cost-effective alternative that still met his needs.
Curating exclusive private jet trips
With international travel back on the cards as border restrictions relaxed in the summer of 2021, we teamed up with best-selling author James Wallman to launch a series of private jet trips incorporating key ‘time design’ concepts from his book Time And How To Spend It.
Aiming to satisfy people’s desire to make up for time lost during lockdown, each carefully curated itinerary packs several destinations into a timeframe that’s only possible by private jet. Routes are available throughout 2022 and include Across The Top Of The World, a 14-night adventure through Finland with stops in Lofoten, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and Octola.
To find out more about how we can fulfill your private jet charter needs, contact one of our private jet team, who will take care of your air charter from start to finish.